Stewardship-Blog

Take My Sabbath School…

“Take My Life and Let It Be,” the opening line of the traditional hymn of consecration composed by Frances Ridley Havergal. Each verse invites the singer to - commit all his/her possessions and being - to the Lord for His purposes. ‘First Things 1st’, continues to consider the meaning and spirit of these challenging lines (along with some others in the same spirit). This month…

As an introduction to the Lesson Study at the TED Year-End Meetings, Daniel Duda asked, “When was the last time you went to Sabbath School, and learnt something?” By the nature of the question, not a lot! But before we look at that further, a quick dip into the 2016 Annual Statistical Report, reveals that of the 86,000 TED members, on average, only 22,000 turn up for Sabbath School*. While this figure shows the matter to be probably worse than it is (due to sporadic reporting), it’s possible that 50% of TED members are missing out, on a tremendous discipleship resource to grow and strengthen faith.

It was a warm June evening, in the delightful surroundings of the Beskydy retreat centre in the Czech Republic. There in front of me was an, “In the rustling grass I hear him pass”1 moment, caught on camera. It caused me to wonder about the “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” story; the little bears’ porridge being ‘just right’!

Without a care in the world, there I was on the living room carpet planning for a better and brighter future. Life was good, I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. With my mind full of hope, the shapes, and colours of the Lego bricks in front of me tantalised my imagination. I could see the size and colour of the house I was going to build. It would have two doors, four windows, a sloping red roof, and a garden with a low fence around it. Would it have a yellow or a blue door, a white fence, or green?

“Why the Devil Takes Visa” – a great title for a sermon I preached a long time ago, yet I was the one who needed to hear it most. It’s a reality that families of pastors, are no less immune to the financial pressures all families face. We had a new mortgage, payments on a car, school fees, and went abroad to holiday in the sun. Too much for the young hard-working family to wish for? Perhaps not, but when our spending rose above our income, we used plastic to help and experienced what is often described as a credit crunch*. What a disaster!

Adventists make a great deal about health, and rightly so. Growing in Christ is a whole-life matter. I don’t know who said it first, but one of my favourite definitions of Stewardship is, “Everything we think, say and do after we say, ‘I believe’.” Our position on health is with good reason, not least by listening to Paul’s counsel, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who you have from God? You were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Our beliefs

Seventh-day Adventist beliefs are meant to permeate your whole life. Growing out of scriptures that paint a compelling portrait of God, you are invited to explore, experience and know the One who desires to make us whole.

18 March 2019 | Belgrade, Serbia [Marija Trajkovska]What is my worth in God’s eyes? That is the serious question addressed by Raquel Arrais during a Women’s Ministries weekend in Belgrade, Serbia.

13 March 2019 | Copenhagen, Denmark [tedNEWS with Lasse Bech]
An Adventist High School teacher, who was fired for refusal to attend an ‘open house’ event on a Saturday, has had his claim upheld by the Danish Equal Treatment Board.

11 March 2019 | Amman, Jordan [TED/EUD news] Communication leaders of the two European Divisions were presented with a special award recognising the way they have encouraged networking and cooperation between different media entities at the world GAiN Conference.